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Manning's Conviction Upheld in WikiLeaks Case


FILE - Army Pfc. Bradley Manning is escorted to a security vehicle outside a courthouse in Fort Meade, Maryland after a court martial hearing, August 20, 2013.
FILE - Army Pfc. Bradley Manning is escorted to a security vehicle outside a courthouse in Fort Meade, Maryland after a court martial hearing, August 20, 2013.
A U.S. Army judge has upheld the conviction and 35-year prison sentence for the WikiLeaks informant formerly known as Private Bradley Manning.

Manning was convicted in July for providing secret files to WikiLeaks in the biggest breach of classified materials in U.S. history. Manning, now known as Chelsea Manning, was acquitted of the most serious charge, aiding the enemy.

After sentencing, Manning declared a desire to live as a woman, having been diagnosed with gender dysphoria by two military mental health experts.

Manning was working as an intelligence analyst in Baghdad in 2010 when she gave the pro-transparency site WikiLeaks 700,000 documents, videos, diplomatic cables and battlefield accounts.

The trove included a 2007 video of a U.S. Apache helicopter firing at suspected insurgents in Iraq, killing a dozen people, including two journalists.

Manning's request for leniency followed an application for a presidential pardon filed last September, where her defense team maintained that she had released information to the media for the public good.

Manning's sentence was the longest ever handed down for turning over secrets to the media.

Major General Jeffrey S. Buchanan's decision to uphold the findings of Manning's 2013 court-martial will automatically send the case to the Army Court of Criminal Appeals, an Army statement said.

Some information for this report provided by Reuters.
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